Joy. Elation. Relief. Pride. Satisfaction. All emotions that Dean Holdsworth, Matt Bishop and their players must have felt following a gritty, sixth consecutive victory over a strong physical Morecambe side that will always prove hard to beat.
Holdsworth was forced to make two changes from the side which had demolished Barnet seven days previously. Goalkeeper Jamie Young deputised for Ross Worner, who is anticipated to be out for a month with a back problem. Josh Payne, so instrumental in the first four of Shots five wins came back into the side for young Adam Mekki, who dropped to the bench.
In a scrappy opening 25 minutes, there were no worthwhile efforts on goal, as both teams worked hard to win possession, only to be hussled out of it again soon after. Then, in the 26th minute, Shots scored with a well taken Guy Madjo header from a pin point Aaron Morris cross.
This stirred the visitors into life and within five minutes, they went close twice. First Andy Parrish headed just over, then Stewart Drummond connected beautifully with an Ellison corner. His thumping effort beat Young, but hit Josh Payne on the goal line.
Almost as quickly as the game sprang into life, it became a scrappy affair once more and there were no more efforts of note in the remainder of the first half.
After the break, Shots had three efforts on goal in quick succession. Firstly some neat interplay on the right side, involving Vincenti, Herd, Payne and Brown, resulted in the latter pulling the trigger, with his left foot, from just inside the box - he shot straight at Roche in the visitors goal though. Then Madjo, looking hungry and confident, turned his marker brilliantly out on the left channel, cut in and shot - over the bar. Vincenti had the third attempt, a low powerful shot from 25 yards which Roche parried to safety.
And then, as it did after a brief flurry of football in the first half, the game began to get scrappy again. Where there were a few glimpses of good football, it was usually Shots that produced it though.
On the hour, Mekki replaced Hylton and with 20 minutes left, Holdsworth threw on Wilko Risser in place of Madjo, who once again had put in a good shift and came off to a rousing reception.
The game remained hard fought but scrappy. First Herd - for time wasting, then Mekki, for a lunging tackle on the touchline, picked up yellows. Morecambe, as they did all afternoon, knew only one way, to lump the ball forward. Time and again Shots rose highest and strongest to clear their lines...and then begun to try and piece together a passing move again.
Ben Smith replaced Payne. Troy Brown received a red card for lunging in on Danny Carlton.
But Shots held firm in the five additional minutes they had to play with 10 men and completed the job.
Well done Dean, Matt and all the players. Aldershot Town today sits proudly in the top half of Lague Two again.
Shots: Young Herd Jones Bradley Straker Payne Morris Brown Vincenti Hylton (Mekki) Madjo (Risser) Subs not used: Murphy Connolly Smith. Att: 2,381 (59 away fans)